Google’s Jedi Blue ad deal with Meta wasn’t unlawful, judge rules


A New York federal judge has ruled that that multi-state antitrust lawsuit against Google spearheaded by the Attorney General of Texas can move forward. That said, Judge P. Kevin Castel has also dismissed the plaintiffs’ claim that Google’s online ad deal with Meta, codenamed Jedi Blue, was an unlawful restraint of trade. The judge said that “there is nothing inexplicable or suspicious” about the two companies entering the agreement. 

If you’ll recall, the states that filed the lawsuit accused Google of entering a deal with Meta that gave the latter certain advantages on the ad exchange the tech giant runs. As Bloomberg notes, Meta allegedly had to abandon its plans to adopt a new technology that would’ve hurt Google’s monopoly and to back the tech giant’s Open Bidding approach when it comes to selling ads in exchange.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that he was filing a “multi-state lawsuit against Google for anti-competitive conduct, exclusionary practices and deceptive misrepresentations” back in 2020. The lawsuit focused on Google’s advertising tech practices and how, Paxton said, the company uses its “monopolistic power to control pricing” of ads and “engage in market collusions.”

Google sought to dismiss the lawsuit earlier this year. While it failed to convince Judge Castel to fully toss the lawsuit out, the company still posted a celebratory note about the decision. “Importantly, the Court dismissed the allegations about our Open Bidding agreement with Meta — the centerpiece of AG Paxton’s case,” the company wrote in a blog post. The tech giant added that the agreement had never been a secret and that it was pro-competitive. It also called Paxton’s case “deeply flawed.”

Although the judge for this case dismissed the claim that Jedi Blue was unlawful, the deal and Google’s ad tech practices as a whole are still under scrutiny by authorities. The European Commission and UK’s Competition and Markets Authority launched an antitrust investigation into the companies’ agreement back in March. And just last month, Bloomberg had reported that the US Department of Justice was preparing to sue Google over its dominance in the ad market sometime this September.

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing.



Source link

Related articles

Forexlive Americas FX information wrap 23 Could: Pres. Trump shouldn’t be keen on who he tariffs

The buying and selling day started on a bitter notice—or a powerful one, relying in your stance on tariffs—after former President Trump introduced by way of social media that he would impose a...

Samsung is giving freely free 27-inch Odyssey G55C displays – this is the right way to qualify

Whether or not you are a PC gamer trying to improve your setup or choose ultra-wide screens for productiveness, you may snag the Samsung Odyssey G9 49-inch curved gaming monitor for $500 off...

Will Gold Break Its All-Time Excessive In 2025? Momentum Builds Forward Of Key Degree

This text was written byComply withDean Popplewell has practically 20 years of expertise buying and selling currencies and glued earnings devices. He has a deep understanding of market fundamentals and the affect of...

Leela Lodges Operator Schloss Bangalore Raises Rs 1,575 Crore From Anchor Merchants Ahead Of IPO

Schloss Bangalore, the operator of the Indian luxurious resort ‘The Leela’, has finalised allocation of 36,206,896 equity shares to anchor consumers on the anchor investor allocation worth of Rs 435 per share. This...
spot_img

Latest articles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com